Daniel Fowler, The Examiner
2007-05-31 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

Bowie -

From local entertainers and cotton candy to craft tables and a Business Expo, Bowiefest is designed to offer something for everyone.

“The objective is to celebrate Bowie, to showcase our organizations, businesses, entertainers,” said Shannon Carpenter, Bowie’s special events coordinator.

On Saturday, the city will host the event at Allen Pond Park, 3330 Northview Drive, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

According to Carpenter, the free festival has been going on for more than 30 years and typically draws between 3,000 and 5,000 people. The rain date is Sunday.

Bowie City Clerk Pam Fleming has been involved with the event since the 1970s, when it was known as Octoberfest and had a German theme.

“After several years of that, the committee felt it needed to be revamped, and decided to call it Bowiefest and open it up to everyone,” she said.

Among the events scheduled for Saturday are a free petting zoo, a magician, baton twirlers and musical performances.

“It brings everybody together in a beautiful park setting,” Fleming said.

But Bowiefest also will have a more serious component, as 75 businesses have signed up to participate in the Business Expo inside the park’s ice arena.

“It’s florists and hotels and contractors who are touching base with customers,” said Kelly Pierce, executive director of the Greater Bowie Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the expo. “So you’ve got the public coming through. It’s a good way to do business and network with people in the community.”

Located in eastern Prince George’s County at the intersection of U.S. Routes 50 and 301 and Maryland Route 3, Bowie has an estimated population of more than 55,000, said Joe Meinert, Bowie’s director of planning and community development. Bowie is the largest city in the county.

dfowler@dcexaminer.com